Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.

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Almost Funny

If the context were not so serious I would simply say that putative PA president Mahmoud Abbas is a joke, an exceedingly amusing joke.

He is now ready to come to the table for negotiations, you see. All he wants is a freeze on building in Judea and Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem, for six months.

Why six months? Saeb Erekat, PA negotiator, explained this: With the UN vote a “new stage” had been reached. They expect to have everything resolved in six months.

Resolved in six months? All the issues?

Well, Abbas has told the Arab League, meeting in Doha, Qatar, that they should not abandon their 2002 Saudi “peace plan.” He wants them to uphold it, because he’s pushing for negotiations. What he told the League is that he would achieve resolution on the core issues and — are you ready? — secure an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-’67 lines.

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Oh! And there is one other matter: Says Abbas, the negotiations would start where the negotiations with former prime minster Ehud Olmert left off in 2008.

OK. I admit it. Context or not, this is exceedingly funny. In a black humor sort of way.

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I should mention one other matter: Abbas also told the Arab League that he will be going to Cairo soon for reconciliation talks with Hamas: “Reconciliation is dear to us and the unity of our people.”

Makes sense, no? While he is negotiating a “peace” with Israel based on withdrawal to the ’67 lines, he will also pursue unity with a terrorist group. That way, when he gets us back to those “Auschwitz borders,” Fatah and Hamas will be all ready to do their jihad thing together.

Even now, the IDF is reporting that Hamas is trying to reactivate sleeper cells in Judea and Samaria. They have not succeeded, because of combined IDF and Shin Bet efforts, but they are trying to regroup.

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We should not have patience — not any of us with eyes to see what is happening. We should not have patience with the nonsense that passes for diplomacy these day. We should tell it out in every venue there is.

Insist that people stop talking nonsense, and start facing facts, which are there in abundance.

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I certainly have no patience at all with the bloc of 27 EU foreign ministers, nor do I find them even remotely amusing. After a one-day meeting, they have now issued a statement of “deep dismay” over Israel’s plans to build 3,000 housing units in Judea and Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem, as well as to do planning for future building in E1, between Maaleh Adumim and Jerusalem.

The problem, you see, is that what we are going to do “would seriously undermine the prospects of a negotiated resolution of the conflict.” The EU “reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace.” Neither statement is true.

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PM Netanyahu said:

“We cannot accept that when Jews build homes in their ancient capital, Jerusalem, the international community has no problem finding its voice, but when Palestinian leaders openly call for the destruction of Israel, the one and only Jewish state, the world is silent.”

No patience for the nonsense.

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Author and commentator Barry Rubin is out of patience as well. And so he has written a wonderful piece, “Israel’s only alternative.” (Emphasis is added)

“The Palestinian leadership, abetted by many Western governments, has now torn up every agreement it made with Israel. Once the efforts of two decades of negotiations — including irrevocable Israeli compromises in giving the Palestinians Authority control over territory, its own armed forces, dismantling settlements and permitting billions of dollars of foreign aid to the Palestinians — were destroyed, the world decided to focus the blame on Israel for approving the construction of 3,000 apartments.

“In 1993, Israel signed an agreement with the PLO to make peace in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The accord, known as the Oslo agreement, included the following passage in Article 31: ‘Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.’

“By essentially unilaterally declaring the existence of an Arab Palestine, the world has abrogated that agreement.

“What is shocking is not just that this has happened, but that it was many of the same countries that hitherto supported this agreement that, without discussion or hesitation, now agreed to destroy it.

“…Now, the current move has certain implications. I am completely aware that virtually no one in a position of power in the Western world cares about these implications, but it is necessary to remind them, and others, of just what they have done…

“[] They have rewarded the party that refused to make peace.

“[] They have rewarded the party that rejected the offer of a state and pursued violence instead, cheering the murder of Israeli civilians.

“[] They have removed the framework on the basis of which Israel made numerous risky concessions including letting thousands of Palestinians enter the West Bank and Gaza Strip; establish a government; obtain billions of dollars; create military organizations that have been used to attack Israel; establish schools and other institutions which teach and call for Israel’s destruction; and a long list of other things.

“As a result of these concessions, terrorists were able to strike into Israel…

“…what’s important here is not to complain about the unfairness of international life, the hypocrisy of those involved, and the double standards applied against Israel. What’s important is to do what is necessary to preserve Israel’s security and to ignore to the greatest possible extent anything that subverts us.

“What has experience taught us? Simply this: The Palestinian leadership’s priority is not getting a state of their own — they have missed many opportunities to do so — but to gain total victory…suffering — even if self-inflicted — brings massive gains for them.

“What has the world’s behavior taught us? Simply this: Nothing we can do will suffice…

“What has diplomacy taught us? That the other side will not keep commitments and those guaranteeing those commitments will not keep their word to do so. Not only that, but when they break their word, they will complain that Israel doesn’t take enough risks and make enough concessions, and defends itself too vigorously.

“Well, that’s the way things are, and in some ways have been for decades; from a Jewish standpoint, for centuries. So what else is new?

“…we cannot let this nonsensical excuse for reality drive us mad, or make us mad.

“There are only three way, which must be combined, to survive: to believe truthful things, do constructive things, and laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“For such a set of alternatives to exist — the fictional world of hypocritical and misinformed Israel-bashing or the real world — is ridiculous, empowered by the behavior of the world and especially the West. But that’s what exists in the early 21st century era…Fortunately, the real-life alternative is a good one.”